PETITION COLLECTION

It is almost Petition Season! This is the time of year that political candidates need to get signatures from voters in order to appear on the primary ballot. Candidates, their volunteers, and members of the Woodstock Democratic Committee, will start knocking on your door in the last week of February. Gathering signatures continues through the month of March and ends in the first week of April. Here are some things to know as a voter about signing petitions:

  • Signing a petition for a candidate does not obligate you to vote for that candidate. However, if the candidate is someone that you do not believe would be an effective elected official, it is perfectly okay to decline to sign the petition.

  • Offices up for election in 2026 are US Congress (one seat each or CD 18 and CD 19), Governor (one seat), Lieutenant Governor (one seat), NYS Comptroller (one seat), NYS AG (one seat), State Senate (one seat), State Assembly (one seat), County Surrogate Court Judge (one seat),  County Sheriff (one seat), County Legislature (Woodstock has two legislators),  Woodstock Supervisor (one seat), Woodstock Town Clerk (one seat) Woodstock Town Justice (one seat) Woodstock Democratic committee (18 seats/ two per election district).  

  • If you sign more petitions than there are openings for an office, then only your first signature (as determined by the date of the signature) will count. 

  • It is possible that multiple candidates will appear on a petition. This occurs when the candidates support each other. Having multiple candidates on the same petition makes it easier for the candidates and the voters. One signature counts for more than one candidate.

  • You can only sign a petition for yourself - no signing for your spouse or children!

  • If the petition does not have the Town pre-printed on the petition and you live in Woodstock or a hamlet of Woodstock, you should write your town as Woodstock (not Shady or Bearsville for example).

  • Some petitions will include a place to print your name, some will not. Your printed  signature is not required by election law but can be helpful in the verification process. PLEASE Print clearly.

Choosing a Candidate

Choosing a candidate can be hard and the reasons for our choices can be very specific and personal. No one will ever be perfect but we can assess if they are headed in the right direction. As you are learning about your candidates, consider these questions:

  1. Does this candidate have a good, overall grasp of how the seat they are seeking actually works and what is in their purview and what is not?

  2. Does this Candidate have qualifications that will support the work they will need to do?

  3. Does this Candidate exhibit an overall character and temperament that will allow them to solve conflicts and bring people together to solve tough issues?

  4. Can this Candidate speak about a large variety of issues and facets of the office or are they focused on only one issue? We need elected officials who are good at administration, negotiation, who show up responsibly, understand how the town works and are as interested in sewer systems as they are in the hot-button issues we face.